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• coop
  coop

  noun

  an enclosure, cage, or pen, usually with bars or wires, in which fowls or other small animals are confined for fattening, transportation, etc.
• coop.
  coop.

  abbreviation

  cooperative.

coop

¹ American  

[koop, koop] / kup, kʊp /

noun

1. an enclosure, cage, or pen, usually with bars or wires, in which fowls or other small animals are confined for fattening, transportation, etc.

2. any small or narrow place.

3. Slang. a prison.

4. Sometimes Facetious. a cooperative, especially the cooperative bookstore of a college or university.

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verb (used with object)

1. to place in or as if in a coop; confine narrowly (often followed by up orin ).

verb (used without object)

1. Slang. (of a police officer) to park and sleep inside one's patrol car while on duty.

idioms

1. fly the coop, to run off; depart abruptly; escape.

   We stopped to see my sister, but she'd flown the coop.

coop. ² American  

Or co-op

abbreviation

1. cooperative.

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coop ¹ British  

/ kuːp /

noun

1. a cage or small enclosure for poultry or small animals

2. a small narrow place of confinement, esp a prison cell

3. a wicker basket for catching fish

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verb

1. (tr; often foll by up or in) to confine in a restricted area

coop ² British  

/ ˈkəʊˌɒp /

noun

1. a cooperative, cooperative society, or shop run by a cooperative society

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coop ³ British  

abbreviation

1. a cooperative

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coop. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. cooperative

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coop More Idioms  

1. see fly the coop.

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Other Word Forms

• uncoop
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of coop

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English coupe “basket,” perhaps from Scandinavian or ultimately from Latin cūpa “cask, tub” ( see cup ( def. )); cognate with Norwegian kaup “wooden can,” Old English cȳpa “basket”

Explanation

A coop is a small enclosed area or structure where chickens are kept. If you feel cooped up, you feel like you’re stuck in a small space, like a giant chicken in a tiny cage. A coop is where chickens get shelter from bad weather and predators. Without a hyphen, the word co-op, which is short for co-operative organization, turns into coop. That can be confusing to chickens because they don’t know if they will have meetings or a safe place to lay eggs. Coop comes from the Old English word cype, "basket" or "cask," with the Latin root cupa, "cask" or "tub."

Example Sentences

“Unlike apartment life, townhouses offer the freedom of full independence: no shared walls, no coop boards or common lobbies, no neighbors above or below,” it read.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 12, 2025

Which is a bit like saying, don’t worry: The fox got the go-ahead from rest of his den before invading the chicken coop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Big Bear Lake’s famed bald eagle couple has flown the coop, and naturalists are pointing to the city’s July 4th fireworks celebration as the likely culprit.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2025

If you, like me, are a connoisseur of ridiculous how-to TV, said pastime fits the profile of a woman of means with a backyard chicken coop and a Viking range.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2025

“I think we can charge more for these,” Mom says from the kitchen where she’s typing a response to the emails about our chicken coop post.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz